1. Scope of Invention
This invention relates generally to swim suits, and more particularly to a swim suit bottom which covers only the pubic area and central buttocks area of the user.
2. Prior Art
Our society has long since moved from swimming suit garments which cover a considerably larger area than normal modesty might require. Thus, the surface skin area which swimming suits now cover has typically diminished considerably to both enhance and increase the level of sun tanning and also to increase individuality of physical expression without going beyond the bounds of either moral or legal decency.
Certainly the two-piece or "Bikini" bathing suits for women represented a step in that direction. More recently, the introduction of the "T-back" bathing suit bottom for women drastically reduced the skin surface area covered down to a very minimal central buttocks area, the crotch area and the pubic area. However, these "T-backs" were otherwise held in place by conventional hip encircling flexible fabric strapping.
A radical bathing suit bottom for women was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,339,208 invented by Marbach which disclosed a contoured Iccp of resilient steel wire forming a spring adapted to be placed between the wearers legs. With a flexible fabric enclosure for this spring, this device only concealed the crotch area and the central buttocks area up to the sacrum and upwardly in the front area of the user to conceal only the pubic area. However, this device appears to be quite uncomfortable in use and there is no indication that the device was ever successfully marketed. A similar device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,781 invented by Axmann which also discloses what appears to be a wire frame structure for a swimming suit bottom as well as a generally similar wire structure for a swimming suit top.
A clever adjustable swim suit and sun suit panty garment was invented by Block as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,654,630 which teaches the adjustable width of a gathering at each side of the swim suit at the hip to vary the skin coverage of both buttocks and frontal areas thereby. The adjustability is accomplished by wrapping and engaging an appropriately sized flexible cord positioned at the right and left sides to encircle and gather a corresponding right and left hip band of the suit.
Another fairly radical bathing suit bottom has been invented by Russo as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,024. This device is of a somewhat conventional "briefs" nature, with the right and left buttocks or cheeks area of the suit being removed. Two other fashionable bathing suits are disclosed in U.S. Des. 286,100 and U.S. Des. 275,524 and are referenced to disclose the general point originally made concerning the increasing brevity of bathing suit design.
Because the present invention entails the use of double-sided adhesive, the wearing apparel device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,818 invented by Pankney is also referenced. This wearing apparel device appears to include a strip of double-sided adhesive tape or the like which supports two separate generally rigid breast cups by adhesion to the skin at a lower margin of the breasts. No other anchoring means is disclosed.
The invention also envisions a partially encircling resilient arcuate band for supporting the back panel of the invention. For that reason, the invention to Zerkle in U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,241; to Ser Vass in U.S. Pat. No. 2,675,551; and to Kanzaw in U.S. Pat. No. 2,709,812 are also referenced in prior art. All of these devices include body fully encircling hoops or bands, the latter two being elastically biased against the body having overlapping resilient hoop structure for adjustability. However, none of these devices envision only a partially body encircling resilient arcuate band as contemplated by the present invention.
The present invention teaches a swimming suit bottom for both genders which includes a somewhat triangular front panel formed of flexible fabric material and a generally triangular rear panel also formed of flexible fabric material, the two being connected or continuous as by forming same from a single flexible fabric sheet and defining a central mid portion between the front and back panels which is sized to cover the crotch area of the user. The front panel is sized, when fully extended, to primarily cover the pubic area and any desired portion of the lower stomach area, being held in that position by a strip of double-sided adhesive or the like applied directly against the skin. The back panel, when fully extended, covers primarily the central buttocks area and is held in position by a resilient arcuate band which only partially encircles the lower torso for added brevity.